Safety Third: Why the Best Teams Don’t Need a Slogan

For years, companies have repeated the phrase “Safety First.” It appears on hardhats, meeting banners, and company websites. But when something is said too often, it can lose its meaning. People start to repeat it without really thinking about what it means in practice. That is why the phrase “Safety Third” began to resonate with people who work in complex, high-risk environments.

A Different Kind of Message

“Safety Third” was popularized by Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs. He was not suggesting that safety does not matter. His point was that slogans do not keep people safe; awareness and personal responsibility do. When workers rely too heavily on procedures, supervision, or paperwork, they can lose the alertness that actually prevents harm. “Safety Third” reminds people that safety is something to practice, not just to say.

Why “Safety First” Can Backfire

In some organizations, “Safety First” has evolved into what critics call safety bureaucracy. Layers of checklists, reports, and compliance forms are used to demonstrate commitment rather than to drive learning. This can create a false sense of security by suggesting that safety exists on paper instead of in the field. When every incident must be avoided and every deviation punished, people often stop reporting issues or experimenting with safer ways to work. The result is a defensive culture focused on metrics instead of meaning.

“Safety Third” challenges this mindset by asking whether organizations are truly helping people work safely or simply managing paperwork about safety.

Modern Thinking About Safety

Modern safety thinkers have also questioned traditional slogans and control-based models. Erik Hollnagel’s concept of “Safety-II” argues that safety is about ensuring that things go right, not just preventing them from going wrong (Hollnagel, 2014). Sidney Dekker’s “Safety Differently” emphasizes that people are not the problem to control but the resource that makes success possible (Dekker, 2017). Todd Conklin’s work in Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) highlights learning as the central response to failure and the key to resilience (Conklin, 2019).

These perspectives share a common theme: real safety is created by learning, trust, and adaptability, not by slogans.

What Great Teams Actually Do

The best teams in aviation, energy, emergency response, and other high-risk industries rarely rely on slogans. Safety is built into how they operate. They focus on communication, awareness, and teamwork. They recognize that priorities may shift during operations, but the habit of thinking safely never does.

Leaders in these organizations create environments where people can talk openly, ask questions, and learn from mistakes. When that happens, safety becomes something everyone owns. It becomes part of the rhythm of the work instead of a message on a poster.

The Real Point of “Safety Third”

The phrase “Safety Third” is designed to make people think differently. It does not mean that safety is unimportant. It means that safety is not automatic, and it is not someone else’s job. The safest teams are those that stay alert, keep learning, and care enough to speak up when something feels wrong.

Ultimately, “Safety Third” is not a rejection of safety. It is a reminder that safety is personal, active, and always earned in the moment.

About the Author

Josh Ortega, Vice President, Safety, Sustainability, and Procurement, formerly served as the Chairman of SafelandUSA and an Executive board member for the National STEPS Network. Before joining Veriforce as Vice President of SSP, Josh was with BHP for 18 years. During his time with BHP, Josh worked in operations, human resources, health, safety, environment, and community, primarily focused on contractor management. Josh’s extensive experience in oil and gas production, drilling, completions, well interventions, and construction across the United States provides a robust platform to help industry partners enhance safety and bring workers home safe.

References 

Conklin, T. (2019). The five principles of human performance: A contemporary update of the original text. PreAccident Media.

Dekker, S. (2017). The safety anarchist: Relying on human expertise and innovation, reducing bureaucracy and compliance. Routledge.

Hollnagel, E. (2014). Safety-I and Safety-II: The past and future of safety management. Ashgate.

Rowe, M. (2017). The way I heard it. Gallery Books.

Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2015). Managing the unexpected: Sustained performance in a complex world (3rd ed.). Wiley.